I’m not sure how low things can go in Atlanta. It could be next week, if they were the first team to lose to Tampa Bay all season. I’ve always considered myself a very passionate fan that is usually energetic for every game. This was the first time in about six years, where I coasted through the game. There was no real emotion coming out of my heart besides one play from Jonathan Babineaux, who made a tackle for a five-yard loss.

Other than that, the game couldn’t have been more one-sided. Atlanta’s secondary was allowing a bunch of role players to catch the ball almost at will. Golden Tate can be explosive, but he’s not a number one receiver. He made Asante Samuel look old out there yesterday. Once again, this was a game where the Falcons defense needed to make plays and take charge. There wasn’t even an inkling of that.

Seattle was vulnerable coming off two wins against non-playoff teams in St. Louis and Tampa Bay. The offensive line had three backups playing and they were still without Percy Harvin, yet Russell Wilson had a field day against Atlanta. It’s hard to swallow that the Falcons are legitimately one of the worst teams in football. I’m not going to break down this game, because it was completely one-sided and nobody played well.

What’s there exactly to point out? The rookie cornerbacks are going to have rough days and this was one of them. The offensive line still remains to be horrendous and Peter Konz might be playing himself out of a job. After being expected to be an anchor on the offensive line, he’s proven nothing more than being a liability. Nothing positive came out of this game; its time to look towards the future.

Mike Smith’s job security

I’ve always been a firm believer in Mike Smith. He’s always someone that made sure his team was discipline and always came ready to play. You rarely saw Atlanta get blown out, unless it was against a Super Bowl championship team in the playoffs like we saw against Green Bay and New York. It has to be alarming for all Falcon fans to see three straight blowout defeats. When did this team turn into the Jacksonville Jaguars? You’re telling me that this team can’t compete on a weekly basis, after expecting to be one of the top contenders in the NFC. Sure the injuries have piled up, but it’s not supposed to be this bad.

Some people believe that Smith’s decision making has been deplorable, while others believe that he has lost the locker room. We haven’t seen players turn on each other, so I don’t see how anyone can make a statement like that. What we’ve seen is players make the same countless mistakes.

As well as the rookie corners have played, they have the habit of not turning their head around to make a play on the ball. The same can be said for veteran safety Thomas DeCoud, who could be another player that can be replaced shockingly enough. He may have been a Pro Bowler in 2012, but his play has dropped off dramatically this year. In 2012, he was flying around the secondary and making big plays on a weekly basis. Now he can’t turn his head in time knowing that the player he was covering was already in the end zone. His cover awareness has been poor all season long

How can a team evolve when players are making the same mistake? Does this fall on coaching or is the personnel simply not developing? It could also fall on certain players’ performance declining such as Samuel. It would be harsh to fire Smith, but if the team continues to get blown out like this on a consistent basis. You don’t have much of a choice, especially with the possibility of Jon Gruden interested in coaching Atlanta. Smith needs to get his players together and start winning a few games, along with keeping games competitive to the end. If not, he could very well be given his walking papers.

A loss to Tampa Bay would be another huge blow into Smith’s possibility of returning. The fan base is starting to turn on him, despite leading Atlanta to five straight winning seasons. That seems like a distant memory in the mind of fans. Sports will always be about a “what are you doing for me now” type of situation. A team with Super Bowl aspirations now being blown out three straight weeks in a row causes concern for almost everyone’s jobs. It starts with Smith and we could possibly see the firing of Smith, if there isn’t any sign of improvement.

If Smitty gets fired, it won't be for anything specific besides the fact that the Falcons currently look like one of the 2 or 3 worst teams in the league. Won't have anything to do with his decision making, it'll have everything to do with the fact that Dirk Koetter sucks and is bringing him down and Thomas Dimitroff foolishly stood pat when Julio got hurt.

I would have to agree with Pudge. I still like Mike Smith and think he shouldn't be canned for this season. Smitty can't do a whole lot about losing as many starters as this team has. He can't do too much about his GM not taking advantage of some decent options on the trade market to patch a hole (potentially long term) in receiver depth.

It's been a disappointing season and the Falcon's inability to fill in roster needs is starting to bite them in the arse. At the start of the season I felt we where a playoff team with a shot at making a run if everything lined up. At this point it feels like we are 2-3 years and a big re-tool away from being a team worthy of the postseason.

One would think if the door does indeed close and Atlanta can't get back over .500 and at least be a factor in the post season the end is nigh for the Dimitroff/Smith show.

Of course, if you ax Dimitroff & Smith you effectively start a rebuilding process and not just a retooling process. Especially if you get a replacement GM/Coach with philosophy's different than the current structure of the team.

That's just it, we NEED to rebuild, at least on defense. That's not to say that we need to gut the team, but we need to take on the mindset of rebuilding. The defense is among the worst in the league against the rush and against the pass... Significant changes are needed.

Emmitt is absolutely correct on Samuel. Dude is done. IMHO, he shouldn't be on the field at this point. We have seen, on several occasions this year, Samuel absolutely left in the dust on go routes. No way should he be manned up on anyone. Alford has looked plenty capable thus far, and McClain has seemed decent as well. Time to cut our losses with Samuel and immediately bench him.

The defensive line is hot garbage as well. Babs is the only guy on the DL who consistently looks like an NFL lineman. Peters is serviceable. Our DEs are mostly useless. (mostly, not entirely) We need to identify what we want from our DL and go get some players that can make it happen. And as good as Babs is, he's getting old, and if we were in half-decent shape, we should be considering finding his replacement. Unfortunately, we need to find at least two starters on the DL first.

We should be ok at linebacker, but I'd continue drafting developmental talent here. Whatever this front office saw in Bartu and Worrilow, continue looking for that at this position, and keep picking it up if it's out there.

So over-reactionary in regards to Asante. Asante has played well this year. He did not play well vs. SEA, but now he needs to be benched. I need to see a lot more poor performances than Sunday's to say Asante should be benched.

So over-reactionary in regards to Asante. Asante has played well this year. He did not play well vs. SEA, but now he needs to be benched. I need to see a lot more poor performances than Sunday's to say Asante should be benched.

and Tampa Bay

Regarding the rebuilding process, people keep saying that they dont wont to change scheme and philosophy but maybe its time. It seems like in other towns this would be unacceptable but because its Atlanta people say he has had five winning seasons you cant fire him. If this was New York or any other major market team this would be unacceptable, the Bears fired Lovie Smith after a 10-6 finish and he took them to a SB.

I like Smitty but I cannot deny that his team regularly does not display any heart when things are not going their way and now they are neither physical or disciplined so maybe its time to move on.

So over-reactionary in regards to Asante. Asante has played well this year. He did not play well vs. SEA, but now he needs to be benched. I need to see a lot more poor performances than Sunday's to say Asante should be benched.

Never said he should be benched, just think he may be released this off-season. We both agreed on the last podcast about that.

Regarding the rebuilding process, people keep saying that they dont wont to change scheme and philosophy but maybe its time. It seems like in other towns this would be unacceptable but because its Atlanta people say he has had five winning seasons you cant fire him. If this was New York or any other major market team this would be unacceptable, the Bears fired Lovie Smith after a 10-6 finish and he took them to a SB.

Not quite. Lovie Smith coached 9 seasons in Chicago. He coached six more seasons after his Super Bowl appearance and was just 4 games over .500 in that time frame. Last time i looked Rex Ryan coaches in New York and he hasn't been over .500 in 3 years. Yet, they are talking contract renewal because his team sits at an astounding 5-4 right now. Last time I checked, Tom Coughlin coaches in New York and sits at 3-6. I don't think he's going anywhere anytime soon.

Smith is having a trying year. Not all of it is his fault. He deserves to be back.

Asante has been torched this year Pudge. I'd go back and cite the various times that he's been beat by 10 yards, but I have to get back to work. It has been more than once or twice.

Yes, Asante has given up some notable big plays this year, but you are exaggerating if you think Samuel is playing poorly. He has been playing very well. And outside 3 or 4 big plays he's given up, there really is no reason to complain about his play. As was discussed in the Grimes thread, corners get beat from time to time. It goes with the territory.

Let's cite the examples of big plays Asante has given up.

He got beat by Vincent Jackson vs. TB. Got beat on a deep pass. Made a bad play on the ball, which can happen. He also got "torched" by Teddy Williams vs. Arizona. I can't remember which of those plays, but one of them was because he didn't have safety help from William Moore. So he's not exclusively at fault.

Then he gave up a 30-yard catch to Brandon LaFell vs. Carolina. That play was directly the result of Asante being Asante and trying to bait Newton and jump the throw. Unfortunately, Newton didn't take the bait and threw the ball over Asante to LaFell. But I put zero fault on Asante for that play because it came when there was 10 minutes left in the game when the Falcons were down 7 and Asante was trying to make a play. Then he did make said play when he stripped LaFell from behind. If Alford had recovered it, and the Falcons capitalized and marched down the field to tie the game, you'd be talking about Asante made the play of the game.

Let's be scientific about this, looking at the stats through Week 9:

Asante has blown 2.5 coverages thus far this year. Compare that to the other corners: Trufant (10), McClain (10), and Alford (7). As you may recall, a blown coverage is when a corner gets beat on a 3rd/4th down and it results in a new set of downs, or gives up a 20+ yard play or touchdown.

Regarding the rebuilding process, people keep saying that they dont wont to change scheme and philosophy but maybe its time. It seems like in other towns this would be unacceptable but because its Atlanta people say he has had five winning seasons you cant fire him. If this was New York or any other major market team this would be unacceptable, the Bears fired Lovie Smith after a 10-6 finish and he took them to a SB.

Not quite. Lovie Smith coached 9 seasons in Chicago. He coached six more seasons after his Super Bowl appearance and was just 4 games over .500 in that time frame. Last time i looked Rex Ryan coaches in New York and he hasn't been over .500 in 3 years. Yet, they are talking contract renewal because his team sits at an astounding 5-4 right now. Last time I checked, Tom Coughlin coaches in New York and sits at 3-6. I don't think he's going anywhere anytime soon.

Smith is having a trying year. Not all of it is his fault. He deserves to be back.

Lovie Smith had two losing seasons over that nine year span that included a trip to the SB and over that span he only recorded double digit losses once (his first year). Mike Smith is in year six, more than likely the next two years will be years to retool or what ever phrase you want to use so that leaves him one year to match Lovie in the regard of just matching Lovie. If the Bears knew they would get a 18-12 record from Lovie and no playoffs after year 6 would they have kept him? Probably not.

They did want Rex's head but you know who got the ax, the GM paid the price and now Tannebaum is brokering contracts for coaches and executives. Rex Ryan can coach football and his scheme makes players and is the opposite of Mike Smith's where the players made the scheme. Rex kept the Jets competitive even with a QB giving games away and a offense that lost a lot of key personnel. In the case of Coughlin they wanted his head also but I mean he has a Ring so you give the benefit of the doubt and he had won more than one playoff game prior to his rough patch. Of course this year they wouldn't dare cut Coughlin he has won not one but two ships. I would love if they grabbed a new GM and kept Smith and let him prove himself but its not likely if they grab a new GM. What I dont understand is why a coach who knows what he needs for his scheme to work would let the GM ignore his needs. In my mind the conversations in the war room go like this:

MS: "Well Thomas, I think we should address the trenches in the first round"

TD: "We should but I have extensively scouted some DE's with urgent athleticism in the later rounds." "My complicated explosive urgent athleticism algorithm has led me to believe that we should go with a corner back.

MS: "Well we have holes at LE, LB and OT"

TD: "Holes Shmoles......three words Ryan, Julio, Roddy......"

MS "But"

TD: " Dont you interrupt me, have you ever seen a vegan pissed off, now i will pull off a complicated trade so that I can grab a player that more than likely will fall to me"

lol obviously it probably doesnt happen just like that but I mean you get my drift.

I've been highly critical of Smith this year regarding his game management, but I believe him and TD deserve another year to right the ship. Almost everything that could have gone wrong this year has. We will have a better shot with them than anyone else next year.

_________________When life gives you lemons, find some salt and tequila then invite me!

I've been highly critical of Smith this year regarding his game management, but I believe him and TD deserve another year to right the ship. Almost everything that could have gone wrong this year has. We will have a better shot with them than anyone else next year.

Next year with the holes will we have a chance to win it all though? If not it might be time to start with the installation of another culture around Flowery Branch.

I'm not sure what that means, Mattural. Stability is important but I don't think he could survive two two win seasons despite all the other success. However, a "chance to win it all" is pretty hard to ascertain. Despite all the accolades--and deservedly so--that SP has gotten in NO they have had some fairly significant dips. Obviously, the Bountygate BS is an anomaly. Tomlin is struggling now but I don't see him as one season away from the door. Matturally, those L Trophies buy anyone some time. I can be loyal to a fault but I think Smitty has earned a lot of loyalty and that the "culture" is actually pretty good. The personnel needs some tweaking.

I'm not sure what that means, Mattural. Stability is important but I don't think he could survive two two win seasons despite all the other success. However, a "chance to win it all" is pretty hard to ascertain. Despite all the accolades--and deservedly so--that SP has gotten in NO they have had some fairly significant dips. Obviously, the Bountygate BS is an anomaly. Tomlin is struggling now but I don't see him as one season away from the door. Matturally, those L Trophies buy anyone some time. I can be loyal to a fault but I think Smitty has earned a lot of loyalty and that the "culture" is actually pretty good. The personnel needs some tweaking.

Most people on here agree that it will take atleast two offseasons to fill the holes on defense (DE, FS, DT) and on the offensive side of the ball (OG/OT, RB, WR, TE). Therefore if all you want to give a coach is one season then in my mind you are not commited to said coach. I would be much more forgiving of this season had he actually won something as the coach besides regular season games against teams he should beat his 1-4 playoff record (lets not forget how embarrising every playoff loss was outside of the ARZ game) combined with his 2-8 record against the Saints is cause for concern. I like Smitty I really do but people act as if it is a crazy to suggest a coaching change like he is Coughlin, Payton or anyother coach with a L trophy. You say Smitty has earned your loyalty, I ask you what if Smitty would have lost that game to Seattle by allowing his team to blow a 20 point halftime lead? How loyal would you be then? I know the Falcons won but I view that as game that really showed how the Falcons coaching staff is unable to come up with a complete gameplan or make in game adjustments when needed.

I would have still been loyal as I don't think a SEA loss would have been a lack of a game plan so much as a lack of a D. Not many folks were giving us much of a chance versus them or the 49ers so, to borrow a Mora line, we were "playing with house money." Similarly, losing to PHI in 04 did not sour me on Mora. In fact, I was not one of the run-Mora-out-of-town crowd. I guess i am look before you leap. Who is available? Most hirable coaches are unemployed for a reason unless you find the Next Big Thing as in a coordinator who takes the step up ala Payton or Belichick at one time and--lest we forget--he did not set the wood son fire in Cleveland. Payton's ascent in a place that had been as moribund as NO is way more impressive than BB to me.

I would have still been loyal as I don't think a SEA loss would have been a lack of a game plan so much as a lack of a D. Not many folks were giving us much of a chance versus them or the 49ers so, to borrow a Mora line, we were "playing with house money." Similarly, losing to PHI in 04 did not sour me on Mora. In fact, I was not one of the run-Mora-out-of-town crowd. I guess i am look before you leap. Who is available? Most hirable coaches are unemployed for a reason unless you find the Next Big Thing as in a coordinator who takes the step up ala Payton or Belichick at one time and--lest we forget--he did not set the wood son fire in Cleveland. Payton's ascent in a place that had been as moribund as NO is way more impressive than BB to me.

I feel you on the look before you leap train of thought because it is not always greener. In regards to the playing with house money line the only reason we were not given a chance was because of past playoff failures under who? You guessed it Mike Smith. I just feel that whenever Mike Smith makes those HC decisions they have backfired. Just a few that stand out this year but past transgressions include playing the starters in that Tampa Bay game for too long and going for it against the Saints on our own 29. I cannot remember in recent memory when he has made an aggressive call that worked out. I dont doubt that he has a great football mind I just think that he has the uncanny ability to surround him with offensive coaches that hinder his offense and have a tendency to make inexplicably bad decisions in key situations.

I believe that Smitty will be back unless we lose to the Bucs and get blown out on a national platform against the Saints then I think Smitty will be the next Marty Schottenheimer.

Well, to be honest, I'm a Marty apologist. I think he gets a bad rap. Personally, I feel that game day decisions get way inordinately heavy by we fans whereas being a HC is so much more. i liken it to a band. Fans see you play and criticize the set list or the playing or whatever and really have no idea how small a part of being a band being on stage actually is. Granted, it is the most important time and it doesn't really matter if you are great int he rehearsal hall but by the same token you have to be great at the rehearsal hall first and getting to that point is the real work. Getting to that point is where the real leadership and vision is most important. On stage/on game day isn't exactly a crap shoot but it isn't the end all be all of coaching. It's where players have to make plays.

Smitty will go before TD goes and that may not be totally fair but he will have little trouble landing another gig just as Marty had little trouble. There are a lot of mighty good coaches who never won a SB (Reeves) and actually some who did that were not so great (Switzer, Seifert). All this said, this year has been a puzzlement. I think we all knew there were some problem areas and the depth was questionable but who knew losing any one of the Big 3 receivers would spell such doom?

A. Lovie Smith got fired because the Bears offense was atrocious under him. The Bears gave up all they did for Jay Cutler, and they proceeded to have one of the worst offenses year after year, and Lovie fired OC after OC trying to fix the issue. There was only 1 season during Lovie's 9 years where the Bears finished outside the Bottom 10 in total offense, and that was of course the '06 year where they went to the Super Bowl. And that year they were just 15th (average). Same basic reason Dungy got fired, bad offenses because he was way too conservative.

B. The reason why Mike Smith is in danger of getting fired, and the reason why I can no longer protest his dismissal is that the Falcons currently are the 2nd or 3rd worst team in the NFL. Only the Jaguars are definitively worse than them. And after Sunday, if/when the Bucs beat the Falcons, it will only be more obvious.

You can blame the injuries for the close losses at the beginning of the year. Not having a healthy Roddy White or Sean Weatherspoon or Asante Samuel or Sam Baker can certainly make a huge difference in a 1-score loss to a playoff-caliber teams like NO, MIA, NYJ, and NE. And by playoff-caliber I'm talking about teams that at least at this point int he year still have a realistic shot at making a wildcard (NYJ & MIA) and/or in the driver's seat of winning their division (NO & NE).

But you cannot blame injuries for the product the Falcons have put on the field the past 3 weeks. They are simply terrible. And if Smitty is the coach that myself and others have argued him to be, there's no way the product reaches the lows that it has reached. This team currently is every bit as bad as the '07 team. And that's it in a nutshell. That's why 6 weeks ago, I'm pounding the table for Mike Smith, I couldn't imagine a scenario where it got this bad. It's one thing if you lay an egg for a week. That's fine, but 3 weeks in a row?

Ultimately, if Smitty takes the fall, it won't be entirely on him. You have a front office that has made many more mistakes than successes over the past 3 or so years. You have injuries, but not coincidentally Mike Smith decided to part ways with the old tried and true S&C coach over "philosophical differences." You fired the old OL coach, and brought in a new guy who hadn't coached the position in a decade, and there was no improvement, and frankly there was arguably regression.

But what is on him is the play of this team on Sundays. And there's no excuse for how bad they've been. And if they have another underwhelming game vs. TB and lose this weekend, then he's done.

I'm typically the "check out the entire body of work" guy, but not if the Falcons lay another egg this weekend.

Obviously, I have been complaining about other things with Mike Smith for the last two years. However, something seems quite different this year. We haven't gone penalty crazy, but we're certainly much worse than we've ever been under Smith. It looks like some players on the team have given up, Matt Ryan included. (which makes me pretty unhappy since I consider him to have elite talent.)

Unless something incredible happens this week, I think we're going to lose this game. Tampa finally got a win, and their coach IS on the hot seat.

Then again, Spoon might be, "something incredible." I guess we'll see what happens when he's back in pads. Perhaps the defense will really step up. Maybe that will get the offense fired up.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum